I Love To Cook, But I Hate Making Dinner

Figuring out what to cook every night for dinner sucks. I enjoy cooking at times, but that’s only when I want to do it. Unfortunately my family needs to eat and it’s up to me to feed them!

I Love To Cook But I Hate Making Dinner - Great meal planning program and how to have groceries delivered!

I have really enjoyed trying out meal kits, they take the guess work out of figuring out what to make and they are fun and inspiring! I particularly love Peach Dish. Use Code:8EWEOXY4 to get $10 off your first box! It is local to Atlanta, but they ship nation wide. I would describe it as southern eclectic. Think comfort food with a twist!

More often than not it is up to me to figure everything out though. Lately I have been using Gathered Table, I’ve mentioned them before here. I am still in love!! To add to my ultimate laziness I have started to use InstaCart too! Check out this video about my meal planning and shopping I did last week!!

Updated to Add: Gathered Table is still a great resource but you should check Plan To Eat too! It is similar in function but makes it easier to add in recipes from other websites.

Here is everything I got and what it cost. It is obviously more expensive than going to the grocery store with coupons, but I don’t have time to do that anyway! I also tipped her a decent amount since this was my first order and I didn’t have to pay for shipping. 🙂

  • Buitoni Three Cheese Asparagus Ravioli (each) 1 × $7.89
  • Banana (each) 6 × $0.29 $1.74
  • Large Lime (each) 1 × $0.89
  • BTTR Gourmet Garden Ginger Paste (4 oz) 1 × $6.09
  • Bunched Cilantro (each) 1 × $0.69 
  • Red Vine Tomato (each) 2 × $0.79 $1.58
  • Small Hass Avocado (each) 2 × $1.59 $3.18
  • Strawberries (16 oz) 1 × $3.69 $3.69
  • Yellow Onions (3 lb) 1 × $2.19 $2.19
  • Simple Organic Truth Natural Chicken Breasts (~ 1.4 lbs) 1.48 lb × $5.99 $8.87
  • Simple Organic Truth Uncured Black Forest Ham (7 oz) 1 × $4.89 $4.89
  • Nestlé Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Sweet Creme Coffee Creamer (16 fl oz) 1 × $3.49 $3.49
  • Kroger Large Grade AA Eggs (12 ct) 1 × $2.49 $2.49
  • Simple Organic Truth 2% Reduced Fat Milk (1 gal) 1 × $7.29 $7.29
  • Kroger Monterey Jack Finley Shredded Cheese (8 oz) 1 × $2.89 $2.89
  • Kroger Mozzarella Shredded (8 oz) 2 × $3.29 $6.58
  • Kroger Shredded Parmesan (8 oz) 1 × $3.69 $3.69
  • Stonyfield Farm Strawberry Yogurt Squeeze (8 x 2 oz) 1 × $4.89 $4.89
  • CANNED GOODS HUNT’S 100% Natural Diced Tomatoes (28 oz) 1 × $2.49 $2.49
  • Goya Low Sodium Black Beans (15.5 oz) 1 × $1.39 $1.39
  • Raos Raos Marinara Sauce (24 oz) 1 × $11.79 $11.79
  • Starbucks Keurig House Blend Medium Roast Coffee K Cups (10 x 0.4 oz) 1 × $8.49 $8.49
  • Eggo Eggo Waffles Chocolatey Chip (10.7 oz) 1 × $2.89 $2.89
  • Pillsbury Heat N Go! Maple Burst’n Mini Pancakes (2.82 oz) 1 × $1.19 $1.19
  • PEPPERIDGE FARM Puff Pastry Sheets (17.3 oz) 2 × $6.09 $12.18
  • Kroger Medium Raw Shrimp Peeled & Deveined (10 oz) 1 × $8.49 $8.49
  • Kroger Peas Green (12 oz) 1 × $1.29 $1.29
  • Materne Go Go Squeeze Organic Applesauce (64 oz) 1 × $10.39 $10.39
  • Nature’s Bakery Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bars Variety Pack (4.5 lb) 1 × $10.99 $10.99
  • Pirate Brands Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar Lunch Packs (36 x 0.5 oz) 1 × $10.99 $10.99

Plus tips I paid $168.90 I had a few other things I had to grab for the week but that didn’t put me over my $200 weekly budget. That is my max budget though, I try to stay at $150 per week so I may save this for last minute items or really busy weeks. For instance, as I am sitting here writing this post to avoid starting dinner I realized that I am missing a couple of things to make dinner. So I grabbed Instacart and placed an order! The more you order the cheaper your shipping is so I added in our usual milk and basics and only paid $5 for shipping. It is totally worth $5 to not have to load the boys in the car and run up to the grocery store and referee as they fight in the shopping cart the whole time!!

What are your tricks for getting your meals planned and groceries??

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